Once the largest sea pool in the British Isles and a jewel of Victorian seaside leisure, Jersey’s Victoria Marine Lake has now been granted listed status, Express can today reveal.
The decision to award the structure Grade 4 Listed status comes as calls from campaigners to restore the Victoria Marine Lake site to its former glory continue to grow.
Jersey Heritage submitted a 30-page Historic Environment Asset Report to state-run Jersey Property Holdings – the arm of government responsible for looking after public property – in August.
Emphasising the pool’s “historic and cultural significance” to the Island, the report argued that listing the pool would recognise its “role in Victorian seaside leisure”, “its engineering achievement for the time”, and “its contribution to St Helier’s identity and community memory”.
Landmarks awarded Grade 4 status are defined as “buildings and places of special public and heritage interest to the Island”.
A royal history
Built in 1897 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, the Victoria Marine Lake was once the largest sea pool in the British Isles and remains one of the few surviving Victorian tidal pools in the world – and is one of only two left in Jersey.
Repairs to bring the pool back into use were undertaken in 2014, at a cost of £315,000.
However, following under-maintenance and storm damage in the years that followed, the site has not held water at low tide since 2023.
Islanders, including parish Deputy Inna Gardiner, have repeatedly called for the pool to be restored to a usable state and a petition garnered more than 1,000 signatures – enough for a formal Ministerial response.
Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan previously said that work to restore the neglected relic from the heyday of the island’s tourism industry would be “uneconomical”, and later raised concerns over “the risk and probable likelihood that the same issues that resulted in low use of the Marine Lake [after the 2014 repairs] would arise again”.
But, with the news of pool’s new listed status, the government’s hand may be forced to spend more money on its upkeep.
A Planning Department report seen by Express said the listing was granted in recognition of the pool’s “special interest” to Jersey.
It found that the Victoria Marine Lake compares with other listed sea-water bathing pools in the UK and locally, and “illustrates significant aspects of Jersey’s social and cultural history in its connection to the popularity of sea bathing in the 19th century”.
The report added: “The feature’s connection to the expansion of West Park and the Esplanade towards the end of the 19th century for recreation and tourism further marks its interest.”
It also noted that the site has remained largely unchanged since its opening in 1897.
“The bathing pool makes a significant contribution to the local character and identity of Jersey, representing the popular practice of sea bathing over its 128-year history.”
It is now formally protected, so any works or activities affecting the site will require permission from the Planning Department.
Emergency works planned
Emergency works are due to take place at Victoria Marine Lake in the coming weeks to address safety risks linked to tidal damage.
Jersey Property Holdings said the repairs would focus on “potential whirlpools and rip tides caused by tidal variations through the existing openings in the wall” at the under-maintained bathing pool at West Park.
“The pool will remain signposted to warn the public of the danger of swimming, as we cannot guarantee that no further openings will occur at this stage,” the States’ corporate landlord said.
“However, due to the overall poor condition of the wall itself, the pool will remain signposted to warn the public of the danger of swimming, as we cannot guarantee that no further openings will occur at this stage.”
It added that full repair works are planned to take place in stages from spring 2026 – depending on funding.
“At that point, a comprehensive assessment will be undertaken with the specialist who previously reviewed the pool in 2011 and 2016, and a full tender process will follow for the
staged repairs,” the statement said.
Jersey Property Holdings said the aim was to “prepare the site ahead of winter and carry out remedial activity in the spring”.
An Expression of Interest will also be issued to explore future operating models “for the operation of this valued public space”.
